In this subtitle, “displaced homemaker” means an individual who: is at least 35 years old; has worked for the individual’s family in the family home; is not gainfully employed; has had, or would have, difficulty in securing employment; and has depended on: the income of a family member and has lost that income as the result of separation, divorce, or the death or disability of that family member; or government assistance as the parent of a dependent child and is no longer eligible for that assistance.

The General Assembly finds that: homemakers have been an insufficiently recognized sector of the work force who make an invaluable contribution to the welfare of the residents of this State; and there is an ever-increasing number of individuals in this State who: have fulfilled a role as homemaker; in their middle years, because of separation, divorce, or the death or disability of a family member depended on for support, are: displaced homemakers; and without income or with substantially reduced income; very often are ineligible for public assistance, unemployment benefits, insurance benefits, and Social Security benefits; have the highest unemployment rate of any sector of the work force; face discrimination in employment because of age and the absence of any recent employment experience; often have lost rights as beneficiaries under employers’ pension and health plans and other insurance plans; and often are unacceptable to private insurance plans because of their age. In enacting this subtitle, the General Assembly intends to provide to displaced homemakers the counseling, training, employment placement assistance, services, and health care that displaced homemakers need to continue as productive residents of this State.

The Secretary shall establish a multipurpose service center for displaced homemakers. The center shall be in a location that is accessible to a major population area of this State as determined by the Secretary.

To assist displaced homemakers in becoming gainfully employed, the center shall provide them with: counseling; training; skills; services; and education. To the extent the center has the resources available, the center may also provide these services to persons who are at least 30 years old and: who satisfy the criteria for displaced homemakers under § 4-601(2), (3), (4), and (5) of this subtitle; or who have depended on Aid to Families with Dependent Children or temporary cash assistance for at least 24 months.

The center shall provide: a job counseling program for displaced homemakers that is designed specifically for individuals who are reentering the job market after being absent from the job market for a number of years; job training programs for jobs that are available in the public and private sectors; an employment placement program; and service programs, including: health services counseling, using existing health services programs; money management courses, including information and assistance in dealing with insurance, taxes, mortgages, loans, and probate; and information and assistance in dealing with government benefit programs, including Supplemental Security Income, Social Security benefits, Veterans Administration benefits, public assistance, food stamps, and unemployment insurance.

To the greatest extent possible and appropriate, the staff of the center shall consist of displaced homemakers. Staff positions filled by displaced homemakers shall include supervisory, technical, and administrative positions. If, with additional training or retraining, a displaced homemaker has the potential to be a member of the staff, the individuals who operate the programs of the center shall provide the displaced homemaker with on-the-job training.

The staff of the center shall: work with local government agencies and private employers to develop job training programs; and work with federal, State, and local government agencies in the area of the center to assist displaced homemakers in securing permanent employment.

In establishing the center, the Secretary shall explore the availability of and, to the extent available and appropriate, shall use funds and contributions from federal, local, and private sources, including in-kind contributions of building space, equipment, and qualified personnel for training programs. The Secretary shall work with federal, State, and local government agencies in the area of the center to assist displaced homemakers in securing permanent employment.

The Secretary shall adopt rules and regulations that govern: the eligibility of displaced homemakers for the programs of the center; the level of stipends for displaced homemakers in job training programs under § 4-607(2) of this subtitle; a sliding fee scale, based on ability to pay, for service programs under § 4-607(4) of this subtitle; and any other matter that the Secretary finds necessary to carry out the provisions of this subtitle.

The Secretary may: evaluate periodically the effectiveness of the job training, employment placement, and service programs of the center; and include in the Secretary’s annual report to the General Assembly a report on the center and its programs. The evaluation and report shall include: the number of displaced homemakers who participate in job training programs; the number of displaced homemakers who are placed in employment; follow–up information on displaced homemakers who participate in job training programs or who are placed in employment; the number of displaced homemakers who are served by the service programs; and the cost effectiveness of the programs.

The Secretary may make grants to nonprofit agencies or organizations to establish and operate any program of the center. The Secretary may establish a multipurpose service center in or extend any program of the center to another area of this State. The Secretary may delegate any of the authority granted to the Secretary under this subtitle to any agency in the Department of Human Services that the Secretary considers appropriate.